Upon reading the reports in their hands, Big Mom and Kaido both laughed with obvious disdain.
Both Emperors secretly hoped that the boy who had dared to offend them would actually return to the New World and challenge them directly.
After their derisive laughter died down, they simultaneously tossed their newspapers aside—one returning to her desserts while the other grabbed his sake jug and took long, deep gulps.
"Wow! This young man is something else!" On the Red Force, Red-Haired Shanks stared at the newspaper in his hands with genuine amazement.
Beckman removed the cigarette from his lips and spoke through a cloud of smoke. "When he came to visit us, I knew that kid wasn't ordinary. Sure enough, in just a few years..."
After a thoughtful pause, he continued, "However, Morgans doesn't seem to understand that boy very well. My guess is, unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't be interested in titles like the Four Emperors or Pirate King."
Unlike Shanks, who had paid more attention to Ace during their visit, Beckman had always held a complicated opinion of Jerry. Even without focusing specifically on him, the first mate could absorb and retain vast amounts of information with just a glance.
"You bastard, you talk like you know everyone's deepest secrets..." Shanks noticed Beckman's knowing sidelong glance and laughed heartily. "Let's not worry about those things—we've got our own business to handle."
Before he'd even finished speaking, Shanks excitedly rushed toward Lucky Roux and the others, shouting that he wanted to start their daily entertainment.
Marco, his distinctive pineapple-shaped hair catching the morning light, stared at the newspaper in contemplation for a long moment. Finally looking up, he asked, "Pops, should we tell Jerry and the others about this? Just in case they run into..."
Whitebeard waved his massive hand, interrupting his words, and gazed into the distance. "No need. It's not time to trouble others with our problems yet. Let him be."
When Jozu and the other division commanders heard this, they couldn't help but clench their fists momentarily—but eventually they slowly relaxed and regained their composure.
East Blue, aboard the Black Nova
"Why is it that only your bounty increased?! This isn't fair! You're on the front page... and they didn't even include my perfect figure!" Cavendish circled around Jerry with the newspaper in hand, clutching his head dramatically and wailing.
Jerry punched Cavendish without ceremony, sending him crashing to the deck. Finally, blessed silence returned to the ship.
"What's the point of complaining about the increase? You didn't even do anything worthwhile," Jerry glanced at the fallen prince dismissively before roaring, "Also, don't yell around me when I'm fishing! You scared away my catch!"
Cavendish, lying flat on his back, simply didn't bother getting up. He murmured petulantly, "You scared it away yourself—there wasn't even a fish there to begin with... Besides, you didn't do anything at Tequila Wolf either. Isn't my bounty increase because of my actions?"
"Tsk! How superficial. You think I didn't take action? The power of words is no less effective than physical force!" Jerry raised his face to the sky, adopting an air of unfathomable wisdom.
After the Bridge Kingdom incident, all the Black Star Pirates' bounties had increased, but Jerry's jump was particularly dramatic. Clearly, the World Government cared less about the "muscle" who took direct action and had begun taking seriously people like Jerry—those with powerful persuasive abilities who could incite public anger and inspire spontaneous rebellion through carefully chosen words.
Following his fierce battle with Garp, Jerry's bounty had soared from 1.3 billion after the Tequila Wolf incident to 1.5 billion Berries.
After the Tequila Wolf incident, aside from Brook earning a modest 1 million increase, Cavendish still failed to break through the 400 million mark. The other crew members saw their bounties increase by several million to varying degrees—except for Carrot and Kotatsu, whose bounties remained unchanged.
It was worth noting that little Bonney's bounty had exceeded 500 million since she'd joined them at sea. This was likely due to the World Government's consideration that Kuma might know dangerous secrets, and his daughter could be used as leverage.
The reason her bounty hadn't increased much during this period was that little Bonney had rarely been seen during public Black Star Pirates activities.
"Yohohoho! Mr. Jerry, are we really preparing to return to the Grand Line again?"
Early that morning, ever since Brook had heard Deuce mention their sailing plans, he'd been filled with energy and anticipation. His nonexistent heart was filled with joy at the thought of crossing Reverse Mountain and meeting Laboon again.
Hearing this, little Bonney—who also dreamed of reaching the Grand Line—stared at Jerry intently alongside Carrot and Kotatsu, eagerly awaiting his response.
Jerry nodded, and just as he was about to speak, he heard Skull's voice calling from across the deck:
"Boss Jerry! There's a call from Boss Ace!"
"Oh?" Jerry accepted the Den Den Mushi with a puzzled expression.
"Ace? What's going on?" Jerry asked, but suddenly froze mid-sentence. A flash of terrible understanding crossed his mind as he guessed what this might be about, though he couldn't predict the specific details.
"Jerry... Just like you warned me, there really was something wrong with Teach. I'm currently pursuing him," Ace's voice came through the Den Den Mushi, heavy with grim determination.
Jerry had once solemnly warned him to watch Teach carefully, and Ace had certainly taken that advice to heart. However, Jerry had no memory of the exact timing of Teach's eventual betrayal, so he hadn't been able to give Ace more specific guidance.
During the peaceful period when Ace served with the Whitebeard Pirates, it would have been impossible for him to keep constant surveillance on Teach. As commander of the Second Division, Ace had numerous responsibilities since returning to the New World from the South Blue.
Therefore, he could only try his best to go on missions with Teach whenever possible.
Until recently, due to mission requirements, they'd been forced to operate separately. When Ace returned to the Moby Dick, he learned that Teach had returned earlier and volunteered to accompany Thatch on an assignment.
As captain of the Fourth Division, Thatch handled cooking duties but occasionally completed other tasks that were convenient or relatively simple. Teach and Thatch had a decent relationship, so it seemed natural for the veteran to offer help when he had free time.
The Whitebeard Pirates didn't impose too many rigid rules, and no one would refuse assistance from a longtime crew member willing to help complete missions.
But at that crucial moment, Ace's battle-honed instincts played a vital role. For no clear reason, he felt something wasn't right about the situation. Combined with Jerry's past warnings echoing in his mind, all of this prompted Ace to turn around without hesitation and chase after Thatch's destination alone.
Although Marco and the others were surprised by his sudden departure, they didn't try to stop him. After all, Ace—who had now mastered all three types of Haki and developed his Devil Fruit abilities with increasing skill—was no longer the reckless youth he'd once been.
After his time away from the crew and subsequent return, Ace's strength had increased so dramatically that even Whitebeard suspected he'd discovered some kind of enhancement drug. This remarkable improvement meant that even veteran commanders like Marco would hesitate to claim they could win in a one-on-one duel with him.
When Ace was racing to catch up with Thatch, he arrived just in time to witness Teach suddenly attack from behind while they were chatting and laughing together. Thatch was seriously wounded and unable to resist the betrayal.
Although Ace acted immediately and successfully rescued Thatch, Teach had already seized the opportunity to steal the Logia-type Dark-Dark Fruit from the Fourth Division commander.
After a brief but intense battle, Teach managed to escape from Ace's grasp by suddenly unleashing the powerful strength he'd been concealing for years.
"How's Thatch?" Jerry asked.
"He's alive, but badly hurt. I got him back to the ship for treatment," Ace replied, his voice carrying barely contained rage. "But Jerry, Teach was stronger than we thought. Much stronger. He's been hiding his true power for decades."
"Of course he has," Jerry muttered grimly. "Listen to me very carefully, Ace. Do NOT pursue him alone. Teach with the Dark-Dark Fruit is exponentially more dangerous than before."
"But I can't just let him get away with this! He betrayed Pops! He nearly killed Thatch!"
"I know, and I understand your anger. But think strategically—Teach spent decades waiting for that exact fruit. He's planned this betrayal for years, maybe longer. He won't be unprepared."
The Den Den Mushi fell silent for a moment before Ace spoke again, his voice heavy with conflicted emotions.
"Jerry... what should I do?"
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